Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 7, 2026

Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates
16:00

Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates

Published on: November 11, 2011

Lemurs and macaques show similar numerical sensitivity.

Sarah M Jones1, John Pearson, Nicholas K DeWind

  • 1Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA, Sarah.jones@snc.edu.

Animal Cognition
|September 27, 2013
PubMed
Summary

The approximate number system (ANS) allows estimation of quantities. This study found that lemurs, monkeys, and humans share similar numerical acuity, suggesting this fundamental cognitive ability is conserved across primates.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Robust representation of the spatial arrangement of topological features.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same author

Flow Matching for Count Data.

ArXiv·2026
Same author

A synaptic locus of song learning.

Nature·2026
Same author

Uniaxial spin texture in a superconducting electron gas revealed by exchange interactions.

Science advances·2026
Same author

Dynamic Compression Flows for Neuroscience Data.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

A synaptic locus of song learning.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Area of Science:

  • Comparative Psychology
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Primate Behavior

Background:

  • The approximate number system (ANS) is a fundamental cognitive ability for representing and comparing numerical quantities.
  • Understanding the evolutionary origins and cross-species conservation of the ANS provides insights into numerical cognition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the precision of the approximate number system (ANS) in multiple primate species.
  • To compare numerical acuity across lemurs, Old World monkeys, and humans.
  • To determine if the ANS is conserved throughout the primate order.

Main Methods:

  • Nonhuman primates (three lemur species, one monkey species) were trained on a touchscreen task to identify the larger of two visual arrays.
  • Numerical acuity was quantified using Weber fractions (w) derived from performance data.

More Related Videos

Assessment of Social Cognition in Non-human Primates Using a Network of Computerized Automated Learning Device (ALDM) Test Systems
08:42

Assessment of Social Cognition in Non-human Primates Using a Network of Computerized Automated Learning Device (ALDM) Test Systems

Published on: May 5, 2015

Hand-Rearing Method for Infant Marmosets
04:52

Hand-Rearing Method for Infant Marmosets

Published on: June 9, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 7, 2026

Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates
16:00

Behavioral Assessment of Manual Dexterity in Non-Human Primates

Published on: November 11, 2011

Assessment of Social Cognition in Non-human Primates Using a Network of Computerized Automated Learning Device (ALDM) Test Systems
08:42

Assessment of Social Cognition in Non-human Primates Using a Network of Computerized Automated Learning Device (ALDM) Test Systems

Published on: May 5, 2015

Hand-Rearing Method for Infant Marmosets
04:52

Hand-Rearing Method for Infant Marmosets

Published on: June 9, 2023

  • Human participants were tested using a similar touchscreen procedure.

    • Main Results:

    • All four nonhuman primate species demonstrated quantitatively equivalent numerical acuity.
    • Humans outperformed nonhuman primates but exhibited qualitatively similar performance patterns.
    • Weber fractions (w) indicated comparable precision in numerical estimation across tested primate species.

    Conclusions:

    • The approximate number system (ANS) is conserved across the primate order.
    • Numerical acuity shows remarkable consistency among lemurs, monkeys, and humans.
    • This suggests a shared evolutionary basis for numerical cognition in primates.